From the Music Memiors
Word associations this week: Tell us the first, song, band/artist, album or anything music related that comes to mind when you see these words:
Space: The Cosmos Rocks (new album from Queen)
Party: Kahoggi's Ship (song by Queen from the Mircle)
Darkness: I Believe in a thing Called Love
Reading: New York Train Disaster - Bee Gees (from Reading railroad in monopoly)
Touch: Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' Journey
New: (s) of the World
Gone: My Girl (The Gone gone gone song) - Chilliwack
Jazz: Jazz an album by Queen
Song: This is the song that sings itself - Sparks
Bag: Spoonman by Soundgarden (no idea why)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
They Got it Right.
Your result for The RPG Class Test...
Smart Paladin
59% Combativeness, 10% Sneakiness, 68% Intellect, 69% Spirituality
Valorous! Noble! Or possibly just a self-righteous jerk (but with the brains to keep you alive!)... You are a Smart Paladin!
Paladins are holy warriors. They are valorous defenders of the light. Unfortunately, most of them are so ardent in their defense they tend to meet sticky ends faster than you can say "rampaging red dragon." Many people look up to Paladins, while others just consider them stuck up, overbearing, or self-righteous.
Fortunately for you, unlike most Paladins, you're pretty smart. Which means that you're more likely to fall into the "admired" category, rather than the "obnoxious" or "dead" categories.
Much like the crusades, you manage to combine violence and religion, though unlike the crusades, you add a healthy does of intelligence. You may be a staunch defender of the faith, a valorous champion of the weak, or the stuff that jihads are made of. Which ever one you are, just be happy that you've got the smarts to back it up and make it work.
Paladins are holy warriors. They are valorous defenders of the light. Unfortunately, most of them are so ardent in their defense they tend to meet sticky ends faster than you can say "rampaging red dragon." Many people look up to Paladins, while others just consider them stuck up, overbearing, or self-righteous.
Fortunately for you, unlike most Paladins, you're pretty smart. Which means that you're more likely to fall into the "admired" category, rather than the "obnoxious" or "dead" categories.
Much like the crusades, you manage to combine violence and religion, though unlike the crusades, you add a healthy does of intelligence. You may be a staunch defender of the faith, a valorous champion of the weak, or the stuff that jihads are made of. Which ever one you are, just be happy that you've got the smarts to back it up and make it work.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Summer Music Review
From the Music Memiors
Summer is officially over so let's do a recap.
Tell us your summer musical memories, whether they are a concert, an album you bought, a song that became special or a new artist you discovered.
This summer my music was dominated by one thing - Music Rhythm Video Games. Guitar Hero, and most notably Rock Band (and recently Rock Band 2). I got Rock Band sometime in late April. And it has become my most played video games.
How does this pertain to music... in multiple ways.
First it is a completely new way to experience your music. Yeah the instruments are plastic, but you feel as if you are playing the music. It's interactive, and man do you pay more attention to the music than when you just listen. It isn't playing in a band by any means, but it is more than just sitting and listening.
Second - because you are interacting with the music, you learn more about it. Since playing the drums or bass in the game, I find it much easier to pick out just the drum and bass parts in songs when I listen. I never had any musical training, but now I can see how the individual pieces make the complete sound, something I've never done before. And related to this - I've learned to keep a beat. I've never been able to do that either, but after playing the game with drums, I can now. I've also (in trying to get to notes I can't normally reach while singing) learned the very basics of singing from the diaphragm. So I have two actual musical things I've learned from playing the game.
Third - the tracklists of Rock Band, Rock Band 2, the DLC for them, and some of the Guitar Hero games are all over the place. RB 2 has sixties favorites (Spirit in the Sky by Normal Greenbaum), Rage against the Machine, Death Metal growling songs, Duran Duran, post punk pop... and more. Between just Rock Band and RB 2, I've been exposed to 20 new bands or singers that I never really listened to before. So the games are expanding my musical horizons (which are fairly broad to begin with).
And that has been my summer in music - lots of new artists, learning new musical abilities, discovering new ways to interact with my music... all from playing a game. :)
Summer is officially over so let's do a recap.
Tell us your summer musical memories, whether they are a concert, an album you bought, a song that became special or a new artist you discovered.
This summer my music was dominated by one thing - Music Rhythm Video Games. Guitar Hero, and most notably Rock Band (and recently Rock Band 2). I got Rock Band sometime in late April. And it has become my most played video games.
How does this pertain to music... in multiple ways.
First it is a completely new way to experience your music. Yeah the instruments are plastic, but you feel as if you are playing the music. It's interactive, and man do you pay more attention to the music than when you just listen. It isn't playing in a band by any means, but it is more than just sitting and listening.
Second - because you are interacting with the music, you learn more about it. Since playing the drums or bass in the game, I find it much easier to pick out just the drum and bass parts in songs when I listen. I never had any musical training, but now I can see how the individual pieces make the complete sound, something I've never done before. And related to this - I've learned to keep a beat. I've never been able to do that either, but after playing the game with drums, I can now. I've also (in trying to get to notes I can't normally reach while singing) learned the very basics of singing from the diaphragm. So I have two actual musical things I've learned from playing the game.
Third - the tracklists of Rock Band, Rock Band 2, the DLC for them, and some of the Guitar Hero games are all over the place. RB 2 has sixties favorites (Spirit in the Sky by Normal Greenbaum), Rage against the Machine, Death Metal growling songs, Duran Duran, post punk pop... and more. Between just Rock Band and RB 2, I've been exposed to 20 new bands or singers that I never really listened to before. So the games are expanding my musical horizons (which are fairly broad to begin with).
And that has been my summer in music - lots of new artists, learning new musical abilities, discovering new ways to interact with my music... all from playing a game. :)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
And now Live.....
Tuesday Tunes
You've seen them live:
Short list (and this is all the concerts I've ever been to):
Styx
Ratt
Judas Priest
Eurythmics (Howard Jones opening)
Billy Joel
Meat Loaf (Cheap Trick opening)
John Fogerty (Roger Clyne opening)
Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band
Rush
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Return to Forever
Tell us the following:
The best artist you've seen perform live and the worst: (from a musical standpoint)
Best... whooboy. Toss up between Rush and Return to Forever.
Worst - actually none of the performances were bad - but the lowest of the good was probably Ratt. But that being said, they were good... just not amazing. :)
The concert with the worst audience:
Judas Priest - Heavy Metal band - heavy metal audience. I had one guy ask me where to buy Speed, and another offer me Hash. I guess I had the look back then.
The most expensive concert and the least expensive:
Least - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Ryan Shupe - Got in for free.
Most Expensive - Return to Forever - the tickets were about 60 bucks. Worth it though.
You've seen them live:
Short list (and this is all the concerts I've ever been to):
Styx
Ratt
Judas Priest
Eurythmics (Howard Jones opening)
Billy Joel
Meat Loaf (Cheap Trick opening)
John Fogerty (Roger Clyne opening)
Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band
Rush
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Return to Forever
Tell us the following:
The best artist you've seen perform live and the worst: (from a musical standpoint)
Best... whooboy. Toss up between Rush and Return to Forever.
Worst - actually none of the performances were bad - but the lowest of the good was probably Ratt. But that being said, they were good... just not amazing. :)
The concert with the worst audience:
Judas Priest - Heavy Metal band - heavy metal audience. I had one guy ask me where to buy Speed, and another offer me Hash. I guess I had the look back then.
The most expensive concert and the least expensive:
Least - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Ryan Shupe - Got in for free.
Most Expensive - Return to Forever - the tickets were about 60 bucks. Worth it though.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Top Five on Thursday Night
Top 5 albums in your music collection right now:
Nothing new has grabbed me in the last few months - so these are the most played in my mix right now.
Fire Of Unknown Origin by Blue Oyster Cult:
The best BOC album (although Agents of Fortune comes very very close). Not a dud on the album, and it has Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Sole Survivor, Burning for You and Joan Crawford. I've recently been into this album a lot.
Butchers Ballroom by Diablo Swing Orchestra
A really odd mix of Heavy Metal, Swing with a little Avant Guard thrown in (as if mixing Metal and Swing wasn't enough). The songs and high energy and really interesting. I love music that takes chances and isn't in the mainstream. This one definitely fits.
Pat Benatar - Go
Her most recent album, and it really returns to her rockin' roots. Just like Wide Awake in Dreamland was a breath of fresh air after the few before it, Go is a really strong album. I love the chances she takes in her music with a more modern sound on a few of the tracks. The ballads are great, and the title song really rocks out.
Asia - Phoenix
My friend Mike turned me onto this album. The classic line up re-united. And the albums is good. I place it just behind their first in quality. I love Eric Norlander, and expect to really enjoy the Asia Featuring ... that has him as keyboardist and co-songwriter, but it is really nice to hear the classic Asia sound.
Nickleback - All the Right Reasons
This albums just rocks. Nickleback gets slammed in the rock press and by the internet as talentless hacks, but I don't think so. I've enjoyed just about everything they have done, and this one is their best. Photograph and Rockstar are likely know by most, but they are nowhere near the best on the albums - Animal is a lust song with a driving beat (I can't say a love song.. that really doesn't enter into it). Fight For all the Wrong Reasons is good, and I love Next Contestant - about a guy who is really tired of beating up other guys who come on to his girlfriend at the bar she works at Withe the chorus of:
s that your hand on my girlfriend?
Is that your hand?
I wish you’d do it again
I’ll watch you leave here limping
I wish you’d do it again
I’ll watch you leave here limping
There goes the next contestant
You know it's going to be a fun song.
In October I hope to have a new one - The Cosmos Rocks by Queen + Paul Rodgers comes out. Queen is my favorite band, and with Brian and Roger (John is staying retired) in the studio with Paul, writing new stuff, I am really excited about what may come.
The first single off the album C-lebrity feels like Queen. I am really enthused.
Take a listen
Nothing new has grabbed me in the last few months - so these are the most played in my mix right now.
Fire Of Unknown Origin by Blue Oyster Cult:
The best BOC album (although Agents of Fortune comes very very close). Not a dud on the album, and it has Veteran of the Psychic Wars, Sole Survivor, Burning for You and Joan Crawford. I've recently been into this album a lot.
Butchers Ballroom by Diablo Swing Orchestra
A really odd mix of Heavy Metal, Swing with a little Avant Guard thrown in (as if mixing Metal and Swing wasn't enough). The songs and high energy and really interesting. I love music that takes chances and isn't in the mainstream. This one definitely fits.
Pat Benatar - Go
Her most recent album, and it really returns to her rockin' roots. Just like Wide Awake in Dreamland was a breath of fresh air after the few before it, Go is a really strong album. I love the chances she takes in her music with a more modern sound on a few of the tracks. The ballads are great, and the title song really rocks out.
Asia - Phoenix
My friend Mike turned me onto this album. The classic line up re-united. And the albums is good. I place it just behind their first in quality. I love Eric Norlander, and expect to really enjoy the Asia Featuring ... that has him as keyboardist and co-songwriter, but it is really nice to hear the classic Asia sound.
Nickleback - All the Right Reasons
This albums just rocks. Nickleback gets slammed in the rock press and by the internet as talentless hacks, but I don't think so. I've enjoyed just about everything they have done, and this one is their best. Photograph and Rockstar are likely know by most, but they are nowhere near the best on the albums - Animal is a lust song with a driving beat (I can't say a love song.. that really doesn't enter into it). Fight For all the Wrong Reasons is good, and I love Next Contestant - about a guy who is really tired of beating up other guys who come on to his girlfriend at the bar she works at Withe the chorus of:
s that your hand on my girlfriend?
Is that your hand?
I wish you’d do it again
I’ll watch you leave here limping
I wish you’d do it again
I’ll watch you leave here limping
There goes the next contestant
You know it's going to be a fun song.
In October I hope to have a new one - The Cosmos Rocks by Queen + Paul Rodgers comes out. Queen is my favorite band, and with Brian and Roger (John is staying retired) in the studio with Paul, writing new stuff, I am really excited about what may come.
The first single off the album C-lebrity feels like Queen. I am really enthused.
Take a listen
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesdays tunes
From the Music Memiors
Word associations for this week. Just tell us what artist/band/song comes to mind when you see these words:
Storm: Riders on the Storm -Doors
Rain: Have you ever Seen the Rain - Bonnie Tyler
Old: Rolling Stones
Magic: Black Magic Woman - Santan
Angst: Pearl Jam
Trust: True - Spandue Ballet (don't ask me why)
True: True Colors - Cyndi Lauper
Broken: Petra (long story there - see below)
Cheesy: Richard Cheese
Family: Statler Brothers
It was my first year of college (and at the time I was a really strong agnostic) and I had a friend who was Christian and trying to convert me. He took me to one concert/stand up comedy act that was Christian (of some Protestant stripe or another). A good deal of the focus of the thing (in a lighthearted way) was original sin, and how we are not perfect, and have to have Christ's love. I wrote a poem (I was 19, and and an English major, how else would I react) called "Are we Broken?"
This was roughly the same time someone else got me hooked on Christian Rock - notably Petra, and this correlation is the connection to the above answer.
As a note - no I don't think humans are "broken" - we are imperfect, but that is all.
Word associations for this week. Just tell us what artist/band/song comes to mind when you see these words:
Storm: Riders on the Storm -Doors
Rain: Have you ever Seen the Rain - Bonnie Tyler
Old: Rolling Stones
Magic: Black Magic Woman - Santan
Angst: Pearl Jam
Trust: True - Spandue Ballet (don't ask me why)
True: True Colors - Cyndi Lauper
Broken: Petra (long story there - see below)
Cheesy: Richard Cheese
Family: Statler Brothers
It was my first year of college (and at the time I was a really strong agnostic) and I had a friend who was Christian and trying to convert me. He took me to one concert/stand up comedy act that was Christian (of some Protestant stripe or another). A good deal of the focus of the thing (in a lighthearted way) was original sin, and how we are not perfect, and have to have Christ's love. I wrote a poem (I was 19, and and an English major, how else would I react) called "Are we Broken?"
This was roughly the same time someone else got me hooked on Christian Rock - notably Petra, and this correlation is the connection to the above answer.
As a note - no I don't think humans are "broken" - we are imperfect, but that is all.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Seeing things in a whole new way
A short story leading up to something new and fun for me.
The wife is going back to University. She is only a semester and a half away from her BS in English (yes BS not BA). She had to stop going to school over a decade ago due to her health issues, and her needing to work for us to make ends meet.
Well, we are in a situation that she can go back. So she is.
Meanwhile, her computer has been starting to go. Not recognizing discs, not booting properly. Mouse and/or keyboard quitting at random intervals. She wanted to get a laptop (for use in her upcoming enrollment in school). But we didn't have the money for a new computer right now.
Then at my second job (Blockbuster), they take out the laptops that have been in the store for a year or 2; they were there to facilitate access to Blockbuster Online. We are not pushing that (as a matter of fact we are trying to get away from it). So the company decided to run a sales contest and the winner got the computer.
The manager decided to have it go to whoever sold the most passes per hour worked.
I have always been the number 2 sales person at that store*. I only work 9 to 12 hours a week. I outperform full time people. The only person that sold more than I did was the manager.
Well, I went into overdrive, and won the laptop for the wife. First thing I had ever won like that.
So the wife has a laptop for school, and we pulled all the info off of her old computer and put it on an external HD. Then she put the desktop off in a corner. And she saw her monitor sitting there unused next to her laptop, and decided to try it with two monitors. And it works, and she has been doing that for the last 2 weeks. Then she comes up to me and says "You know, I don't really need a 17 inch monitor when I run two of them, why don't we swap". So this morning she and I swapped monitors (I had a 15 inch - we always gave her the bigger monitor because she uses up more screen real estate than I do when using the computer).
So all of that was to say I have a new bigger monitor!!! Woohoo!!! I never would have thought that the extra 2" would have made a difference, but they have. It allowed me to move up to the next higher resolution, and keep things roughly where I like them.
And my games look amazing. :)
* I generally don't like selling, but the things we are supposed to push at Blockbuster are different kinds of upgraded rental plans - and depending on how the person rents movies, they can save them money - so I have no qualms trying to sell something that saves them money. :)
The wife is going back to University. She is only a semester and a half away from her BS in English (yes BS not BA). She had to stop going to school over a decade ago due to her health issues, and her needing to work for us to make ends meet.
Well, we are in a situation that she can go back. So she is.
Meanwhile, her computer has been starting to go. Not recognizing discs, not booting properly. Mouse and/or keyboard quitting at random intervals. She wanted to get a laptop (for use in her upcoming enrollment in school). But we didn't have the money for a new computer right now.
Then at my second job (Blockbuster), they take out the laptops that have been in the store for a year or 2; they were there to facilitate access to Blockbuster Online. We are not pushing that (as a matter of fact we are trying to get away from it). So the company decided to run a sales contest and the winner got the computer.
The manager decided to have it go to whoever sold the most passes per hour worked.
I have always been the number 2 sales person at that store*. I only work 9 to 12 hours a week. I outperform full time people. The only person that sold more than I did was the manager.
Well, I went into overdrive, and won the laptop for the wife. First thing I had ever won like that.
So the wife has a laptop for school, and we pulled all the info off of her old computer and put it on an external HD. Then she put the desktop off in a corner. And she saw her monitor sitting there unused next to her laptop, and decided to try it with two monitors. And it works, and she has been doing that for the last 2 weeks. Then she comes up to me and says "You know, I don't really need a 17 inch monitor when I run two of them, why don't we swap". So this morning she and I swapped monitors (I had a 15 inch - we always gave her the bigger monitor because she uses up more screen real estate than I do when using the computer).
So all of that was to say I have a new bigger monitor!!! Woohoo!!! I never would have thought that the extra 2" would have made a difference, but they have. It allowed me to move up to the next higher resolution, and keep things roughly where I like them.
And my games look amazing. :)
* I generally don't like selling, but the things we are supposed to push at Blockbuster are different kinds of upgraded rental plans - and depending on how the person rents movies, they can save them money - so I have no qualms trying to sell something that saves them money. :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Back on Friday
From the Music Memoirs
Top 5 TV Theme Songs
Suicide is Painless The theme song from M*A*S*H. The instrumental version for the TV show was a bit more upbeat than the original, but it is the classic TV show theme for me.
Where My Heart Will Take Me The theme to Enterprise. I could have listed any ST main theme, but I only wanted one, and this one won. Just a tiny bit ahead of Beyond Antares.
Heaven and Hell Vangelis. It is the theme to Cosmos a science fact PBS miniseries from years ago. The show had great music all around, and this piece just takes me back to when I was a kid listening to Carl Sagan's voice, and learning science.
Hill Street Blues Had to have a Mike Post theme here somewhere... isn't that part of the deal? I always liked the sound and atmosphere to this one.
WKRP in Cincinnati - what's not to love:
Baby, if you've ever wondered,
Wondered whatever became of me,
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP.
Got kind of tired packing and unpacking,
Town to town and up and down the dial
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But baby think of me once in awhile.
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati
Edit:
Throw out Hill Street Blues - I remembered another one I like better (well two). Barney Miller and Night Court - great jazzy with great bass on both.
Top 5 TV Theme Songs
Suicide is Painless The theme song from M*A*S*H. The instrumental version for the TV show was a bit more upbeat than the original, but it is the classic TV show theme for me.
Where My Heart Will Take Me The theme to Enterprise. I could have listed any ST main theme, but I only wanted one, and this one won. Just a tiny bit ahead of Beyond Antares.
Heaven and Hell Vangelis. It is the theme to Cosmos a science fact PBS miniseries from years ago. The show had great music all around, and this piece just takes me back to when I was a kid listening to Carl Sagan's voice, and learning science.
Hill Street Blues Had to have a Mike Post theme here somewhere... isn't that part of the deal? I always liked the sound and atmosphere to this one.
WKRP in Cincinnati - what's not to love:
Baby, if you've ever wondered,
Wondered whatever became of me,
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP.
Got kind of tired packing and unpacking,
Town to town and up and down the dial
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But baby think of me once in awhile.
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati
Edit:
Throw out Hill Street Blues - I remembered another one I like better (well two). Barney Miller and Night Court - great jazzy with great bass on both.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Back in the Saddle again
Well.....
It's been about 2 months. Wow. I didn't expect to be gone that long. Well, I have returned. And let me explain why, then we'll get to normal stuff.
The demands on my time have lessened – I've not got any callings in my church right now, the big one I had was reshuffled to someone else, when a member of the group I was in got called to a more important position, and that always means a new group. So I was released. I've successfully limited my time on the internet. I was surfing about 6 boards a day. I've limited that to three, and I limit my time on them. I've stopped working on the RPG game that I have been working on for years (my Fantasy Hero Campaign).
Then there is the big one – the wife arranged to get herself back in school to finish her degree. She is taking 15 credit hours of 300 & 400 level classes, plus working. So she is at school, at work, or working on her homework. So I am now left with extra time, and at odds with my time – this post is being written while she is at class, as a matter of fact.
So what does that mean for this blog – well without the wife around, I find myself with much more free time. So I'll be back to music memeing, and commentary on life in general.
Hope to see you all around again.